[nathanbedford]

Gingrich ran a remarkable and nearly successful primary campaign in no small part based on exposing the media for its bias. As a result the issue of media bias and the difficulty of getting through it to prevail in an election became thoroughly understood, at least by the conservative base, and no doubt by much of the Republican electorate. That is all to the good.

Since then we have learned, especially from Mark Levin, that our difficulties are not limited to a biased media but extend throughout the very structure of the Republican establishment.

As one who supported Gingrich very early on, I applaud his observations that Republicans must make an affirmative case which extends beyond mere opposition to Obama if they are to prevail in the next election. However, this is not news, this is but conventional wisdom and I would've expected more from Gingrich by way of offering solutions. He probably did in his speech because that would be in keeping with his custom and it probably was not reported in this article. I would not be surprised that the media does not believe itself to be in the business of offering its bandwidth for solutions about how to defeat Democrats.

In any event, we now must think about Mark Levin's solution which is inchoate in the public mind so far but at first review must at least be saluted for its originality. By going to the states to fashion constitutional amendments to restore the original intent of the Constitution, he offers an end run around the Republican establishment as well as Washington Democrats. That is not to say that it will succeed, merely that it is innovative and brilliant.

Mark Levin himself is brilliant but one man alone cannot carry this burden. He will find aligned against him all the powerful elements of the media, the Democrats, and the Republican establishment. He needs articulate and enthusiastic allies like Gingrich could be.

We shall see.

[cripplecreek]

The GOP establishment had no plan to see anyone but Romney nominated. Romney would have been fatally wounded by the tie in Michigan if not for a little primary night help from the GOP establishment.

The Michigan Republican Party (MRP) Credentials Committee voted 4-2 last night to give Mitt Romney both of the state's at-large delegates, State Policy Committee Chair Mike Cox told MIRS today.

Cox was one of two "no" votes on the committee which met via telephone, along with attorney Eric Doster The "yes" votes included GOP National Committeeman Saul Anuzis, a Romney supporter, and MRP Chair Bobby Schostak.

That would put the delegate split at 16 for Romney and 14 for Rick Santorum, after each candidate won 14 delegates apiece in those divided by Michigan's 14 congressional districts.

As MIRS first reported on Wednesday, the MRP was delaying a final decision on the delegate split until after consulting with attorneys.

Cox said that according to the MRP rules, Santorum and Romney should each get one of Michigan's two at-large delegates based on their take of the popular vote.

"I supported Mitt, but the vote was clearly wrong," Cox said of the Credentials Committee. "It's kind of like Third World voting. We published rules and then we voted to change the rules."

Because The Narrative Cannot Survive A Rewrite

I know Gingrich faced some of the same manipulations in places like Florida. Basically the GOP was behaving like the Obama Machine.

In 08, Romney walked to an easy victory over McCain with a nearly 10 point win and they expected him to float this time. That tie with Santorum could have severely crippled Romney and the race would have likely shifted away from Romney.

[RedHeeler]

I applaud Mr. Levin for his ingenuity and purpose. Yet,Our Country is being bled out, by a generation of political class, whose words are never backed by substance of personal character/integrity and resolute action. Over the last fifty years, we have fallen into a moral abyss, that will end the greatest attempt of mankind to build a free society. These book signing, speechifying, talk show politicos are great at pretending to be something they truly are not- Patriots. This sick soap opera is coming to a bad end. Reality is not a TV show. Reality is not the glib oral repetition of known conservative values, for another shot in the spotlight. Reality is vastly rewarding, when the nitty gritty, day to day grind, of doing the next right action is our primary purpose. Our supposed leaders have avoided such self-sacrifice, for a long, long time. We are going receive the reality check, well overdue- and that will be Our reality for a very long time. Thanks for your well reasoned response, nathanbedford.

[Osage Orange]

Good post!

[CutePuppy]

He probably did in his speech because that would be in keeping with his custom and it probably was not reported in this article. I would not be surprised that the media does not believe itself to be in the business of offering its bandwidth for solutions about how to defeat Democrats.

Correct, it's just another case of Gingrich being "lost in translation." This was not a policy speech or policy paper (he published great analysis and some suggestions in the open letter to RNC shortly after Romney's ignominious defeat) - this was just a short introduction address to the Boston meeting with RNC Chair Priebus.

Clearly, "beyond" doesn't mean "instead of" - it means having something to "back it up" and provide a positive, hopeful agenda. You can't beat "something" with "nothing" as many people, including Mr. Romney, had to learn again in 2012.

Short articles in Politico and Boston Herald provide a little more colour, better insight and direction than Reuters':

From Newt Gingrich: No GOP health care plan - Politico, by Tal Kopan, 2013 August 14

< snip > ..... "I will bet you, for most of you, you go home in the next two weeks when your members of Congress are home, and you look them in the eye and you say, 'What is your positive replacement for Obamacare?' They will have zero answer," Gingrich told the Boston crowd ..... < snip >

..... "We are caught up right now in a culture, and you see it every single day, where as long as we are negative and as long as we are vicious and as long as we can tear down our opponent, we don't have to learn anything. And so we don't," Gingrich said, ..... < snip >

..... "I think part of what we have to do in the era of Obama's disaster, is we have to get beyond being anti-Obama, and we have to reconvince people you can have hope in America, that we can have a better future," Gingrich said, according to video of his remarks.

Priebus told CNN he did "not completely" agree with Gingrich's remarks ..... < snip >

From Gingrich tells GOP gathering: 'Get beyond being anti-Obama' - BH, by Matt Stout, 2013 August 14

< snip > ..... "I don't think we beat Hillary Clinton in a personality fight because the media will prop her up," Gingrich told his fellow members in a welcome luncheon ..... < snip >

..... Gingrich, in an event dubbed "Becoming the Party of Breakout," addressed more than 100 Republicans as part of the kickoff to the four-day event, emphasizing the need to address technology and new ideas to shake up the Republican Party. ..... < snip >

..... many Republicans who oppose the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, can't offer an alternative. "It's a very deep problem. Breakout means you have to do the homework. "We have to get beyond being anti-Obama."